At some point, as the author's life takes him away from the reader's home base of Montana, Doig's writing style changes. Each scene, each setting flows so well from one stage of his life to another, the reader moves through the years without hesitation. After the initial descriptive flood, Doig settles into a flow of seeing life to which the reader can easily relate, no matter how foreign it may be at first glance. (There are a number of very memorable scenes.) Ultimately, however, this is Doig's reflection on the complex dynamics that constitute a family, no matter how 'normal' or out of the ordinary it may seem. So, yes, there's an element of travel adventure to it. True, this is a memoir, a man telling about his life growing up in rural Montana, a place that could just as well have been Turkey or the Australian outback, as far as the typical American would think. This book was no different, but (1) it was nonfiction, and (2) it was perhaps his most highly regarded book, so I persevered. To me, it feels like a lifetime to work through a single paragraph. As a result, I tried to read one of his fictional books some time back and immediately ran into what seems a trait of Doig, a trait of starting the reader out with an avalanche of descriptive text.

And since he lives in our area, she has taken me along several times to listen to him read from his new work as it came out. I'm certain she's read every one of his books, and there have been several. Schedule of Exploring Ivan Doig: A Discussion SeriesĪll discussions start at 6pm at Country Bookshelf.Ivan Doig is my wife's favorite author. Additionally, we will share insights – including unpublished documents, letters, photos and sounds – from the Ivan Doig Archive which is also available for free public access at. We look forward to hearing a wide variety of responses to Doig’s work and the Montana stories of his readers. The MSU Library and Country Bookshelf invite local readers to join us for Exploring Ivan Doig: A Discussion Series, a series of book group-style discussions to explore the works of beloved Montana author Ivan Doig.Įach month from May through September we will focus our discussion on one book, starting with This House of Sky on Wednesday, May 2nd, at the Country Bookshelf in downtown Bozeman.

This House Of Sky by Ivan Doig